The body of missing Japanese adventurer Hyoichi Kono was found Thursday in the frozen Arctic Ocean about a week after he disappeared during an attempt to travel from the North Pole to his native Ehime Prefecture, his support group said Thursday.
Kono's body was found tied by a length of rope to his sled in the ocean underneath the ice by a local member of his support group at around 6:45 a.m. Japan time, the group said.
Support group members said they suspect he had tied himself to the sled in an attempt to cross over a crack in the ice when it gave way. Because there were no footprints in the area, the sled and body may have been adrift for some time, they added.
Kono, 43, was the first Japanese to walk solo to the North Pole, a feat he accomplished in 1997. He left the North Pole on March 27 to attempt a 15,000-km journey home on foot and by kayak via Canada, Alaska and Sakhalin. The last known contact with him was made at around 11 a.m. May 17 from Eureka, near the Arctic Ocean, the group said.